Christmas Eve
2015.
Beaten black and
blue by the floods that hit my part of the city, Chennai, just 20 days back, I
was trying to cope with lot of losses, one of which was, my positive spirit.
Our original
plan was to invite my entire family that includes my parents, my brothers’
family from Hyderabad and sisters’ family from Bangalore to our place for
Christmas celebrations. The house had become unhostable after the floods
and hence we were travelling to my parents place to celebrate Christmas. Though
my parents live in the same city as mine, we were to cover 30 plus kilometers.
The mood was
sober in the car and somewhere we realized we haven’t picked up cakes and
pastries. By the time we realized this, we had crossed almost all the
best bakeries in town.
There were three
pairs of eyes looking out for the next decent bakery and all of us sighted the
best one in town. The only problem was we were on the opposite side of
the road where the bakery was. Reaching
the bakery in the car would mean going to the other side travelling another 10
minutes and crossing a bridge, taking a U turn and then travelling back
again. And the traffic was unforgiving that day especially, making it look like
everyone in town was planning to celebrate Christmas.
As usual J had a
solution. Dennu and I will cross that mad road and pick up what we needed
and come back. Meanwhile J will try holding back the car in the space (
on a really busy road), we managed to park temporarily.
Dennu was happy
about being the man of the moment.
There was maddening traffic and I saw my son guiding me across the road
till we reached the median and in one jump he got onto the median.
The median, was about 3 to 3 and a half feet and there was no way I could climb
on top of it.
Dennu was encouraging
me saying that I can do it, but I was sure I couldn’t make it, but still I gave
it a couple of un lady-like tries. And remember I was in the middle of
the road where traffic was zipping by - two wheelers and car drivers giving
me that irritated look, some of them even slowing down to gape at the
acrobatics.
That’s when it
happened.
A car was
slowing down near us. A silver colored sedan. Didn’t notice the
make. It stopped next to me. Window glasses were already lowered and the drivers head was out. He had a
warm smile. He looked at me and kept his palms on the windows of this car and
told me “ put your legs here and climb on to the median”. I couldn’t believe
it. I heard myself saying “Sorry that would spoil your car”. His smile
got friendlier and he insisted on me stepping on the window and climbing up the
median. I refused again, he looked at me and said Come on, I will help you. Here, hold my hand and by then Dennu from up the
median said I will hold your other hand ma. And there I went stepping on
his car’s tyre first then on the window, with him and Dennu boy helping me.
He waited until
I got on, and Dennu was as excited as I was, waving him a big thank you and
wishing him Merry Christmas.
Quirky Fellow –
Why else would he allow anyone to step on his Cars window?
But I got back
my spirit, my cheer and faith in human kind. The Christmas spirit of Joy
and love filled all of us, and back in the car, recounting this, we could forget
all we went through a few days back.
Santa Claus does
exist and he may not come dressed in red and white with a long white beard on a
reindeer, he could come like an ordinary man in a car with a big warm
smile. Don’t you agree?
